


Song of the Forest God

by sailorstar165



Series: Song of the Forest God [1]
Category: D.Gray-man, No. 6 (Anime & Manga), No. 6 - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - D.Gray-Man Fusion, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Innocence, M/M, Parasitic Bees, mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:13:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23046811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorstar165/pseuds/sailorstar165
Summary: People have been dying of a mysterious illness, one that leaves its victims rapidly aging and dying. The Black Order sends Allen Walker and his fellow exorcists to investigate.
Relationships: Nezumi/Shion (No. 6)
Series: Song of the Forest God [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1659271
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

Quietly, Nezumi laid a blanket over Shion. To anyone else, the teen might have just been sleeping, but Nezumi knew better. The last few minutes had been a fight for his life, one that left a bulging, snakelike scar wrapped around Shion’s whole body. The only sign of the near fatal struggle was the bandage Nezumi had used to cover the incision site. There hadn’t been much in the way of blood, and already it appeared to have stopped bleeding entirely.

Now that Shion was comfortable, there was something more important to worry about. Nezumi picked up the dish he’d placed the intruder upon. It was a pupa of some kind, maybe a bee’s. No, definitely a bee’s. Nezumi had heard rumors of people collapsing, of people rapidly aging and dying before the insect emerged. Some aged so quickly that their very bodies crumbled to dust.

Nezumi shuddered and looked back down at Shion. The teen’s hair was losing color, changing to a soft feathery white. An aftereffect? Or a sign that he hadn’t been in time and Shion was dying anyway?

He ran his fingers through Shion’s hair. “Don’t you dare die on me,” he whispered.

* * *

Allen felt a shudder run down his spine as he read the report. Beside him, Lenalee was much the same. Even Lavi looked a little green upon hearing the details, though he did his best to keep a neutral expression. Only Howard Link and Bookman seemed unfazed by what Komui was telling them.

“So far, we have reports of twelve deaths,” the scientist was saying. “Those affected collapsed, suddenly aged, and then died. Bees were sighted crawling out of a wound on the body each time.” Komui shuffled the pages on his desk. “A few of the corpses were reduced to ash. The ones that were recovered were human. We suspect the cause to be either an Akuma or Innocence.”

Startled, Allen looked up. “Innocence? Attacking people?” He remembered Krory, who had seemingly attacked innocent villagers, but his victims all turned out to be Akuma in disguise. If the only bodies they could confirm were human, wouldn’t an Akuma be more likely?

“It’s rare, but it happens,” Komui replied. He looked haggard telling them this. “The accommodator could be misusing it, or the Innocence itself could be going wild. That’s why we’re sending you. If it’s an Akuma, you’ll be able to find it and take it out before it can do any more damage. If it’s Innocence, then maybe you four will be immune, being accommodators yourselves.”

Lavi gestured behind him to Allen’s human shadow. “And Link? What’ll we do if he gets infected with one of these parasitic bees?”

“Do not concern yourself with me,” the CROW replied. He didn’t have to say it, but they all knew he could take care of himself after what had happened at the orphanage.

Komui coughed lightly to regain their attention. “You’ll be meeting up with a… I guess you would call them an information broker called Dog Keeper when you arrive. If anyone can point you in the right direction, it would probably be them.”

* * *

The West District as it was called was crowded with people too busy to pay much mind to the odd group currently pushing their way through. The plague of parasitic bees had begun in the better part of town but had slowly shifted its focus to the slums. The last three deaths had been in this overcrowded mess of a town, and all three of these had turned to dust.

“Any idea what we’re looking for?” Allen asked as they headed toward the abandoned hotel Dog Keeper called home. His eye wasn’t reacting to anything, and though those around them had seen better days, they did not appear to be suffering from bee-related accelerated aging.

Lavi eyed those around them warily. “Black necrotic skin.”

No one paid them any mind, something Allen kept that way by hiding both Timcanpy and his hair with his hood. He could hear people in the market shouting their wares, trying to attract customers. Dogs wove in and around the pedestrians, seeming to have destinations in mind. No sign of the telltale symptoms of the parasitic bees yet.

The crowd dissipated the further they got from the market until they reached an old building that had once been a hotel, though it was long since abandoned. Not a soul hung around, or no human ones, anyway. Allen spotted a dog watching them, but it ran inside as they approached.

The hinges gave an ominous squeal as Lenalee pushed the door open. It took a moment once inside for their eyes to adjust, but the smell of _dog_ was overwhelming. Allen slipped off his glove, and Lavi fingered his hammer nervously. The canines were growling, and when they could see them in the dim light, dozens of glinting eyes were upon them.

“Is Dog Keeper here?” Link called into the room. Hackles rose in response.

A small figure stepped forward. “You’re from that Order, right?” They raised a hand, and the growling ceased, though the dogs still watched them. “Did you bring payment?”

In response, Link threw a bag across the gap. It clinked loudly upon landing, and a large brown-and-white beagle padded away from the pack to retrieve it for its master. Once done with its delivery, it stared back at Allen, who averted his eyes. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by nostalgia.

Dog Keeper opened the bag and counted its contents. Satisfied, they said, “You wanted info on the parasitic bees, right?” A grin flashed. “I’m sure you’ve already heard about what they do to you, so I’ll cut to the juicy bit. So far, there’s only been one survivor, and I know where you can find them.”

Allen’s eyes had drifted back to the beagle, but on hearing that, his head shot up. “Really?”

Dog Keeper frowned at the group, more specifically at Allen. They stepped closer, footsteps muffled by the dust on the floor. “Make that two.” In a swift movement, they’d yanked Allen’s hood down to reveal white hair. “When were you infected? The dogs didn't know about you.”

Taken aback, Allen could only stare at them. He wasn’t sure which was more surprising: that this person thought him a victim of the bees or that they apparently talked to dogs.

Lenalee responded for him. “What makes you think Allen was infected?”

“The hair and the scar,” Dog Keeper said, frown deepening. “You’re saying he wasn’t?”

“It’s been like this a long time, and it wasn’t from a bee,” Allen replied, still a little dumbfounded. The person had moved more quickly than any of them expected.

Dog Keeper hummed to themself a moment, narrowing their eyes at Allen, then backed off. They went back to their dogs, which hadn’t moved a muscle.

“So who’s this survivor and where do we find them?” Lavi asked, bringing the conversation back to why they were there in the first place.

“His name’s Shion, and you can find him at a bakery called Karan’s,” Dog Keeper replied offhandedly, “though if you wait here a bit, he’ll be here soon. You’ll have to deal with a rat though.”

“What kind of a rat?”

Allen’s cursed eye chose that moment to react. Dog Keeper let out a cry of shock as they stumbled back, causing the dogs to start snarling and snapping. “What the hell—” But Allen was already dashing toward the door, Crown Clown activating and settling around his shoulders.

* * *

Nezumi crouched low, knife at the ready, though he wasn’t sure how they had gotten into this mess, nor how to get themselves out of it. Shion gasped for breath behind him, staring up in terror at the monsters currently bickering amongst themselves over which would get to kill the pair of humans. While they were distracted, Nezumi reached behind him and gripped Shion’s wrist, fully intending to flee with the white-haired teen in tow, though he had to reevaluate that plan when he found feverish skin. He cursed quietly.

The monsters came to an agreement and turned back to their victims. Nezumi’s fingers tightened on his knife’s hilt.

The wind picked up, and with the wind, a voice. No, a song. Nezumi inhaled sharply.

“Nezumi?” Shion whispered.

The monsters laughed amongst themselves. “Isn’t that cute? The wittle human thinks he can kill us with a knife!”

Nezumi’s silver eyes darted from monster to monster. “Get ready to run, Shion.” The song, one he knew from a long time ago, was a deafening roar in his ears.

One of the monsters stopped short. “Hey, did you guys feel something?” it asked, scratching at the back of its deformed head.

Nezumi took advantage of the distraction. When the other two looked back quizzically at their companion, he scooped Shion up and bolted. Shouts rang out behind him, and something whizzed past his shoulder with the sound of cannon fire. With a string of curses, Nezumi leapt into a ditch and ducked down with Shion as another volley sounded.

“We’ve got you now, humans! There’s no escape.”

“We need to keep moving,” Nezumi hissed. They weren’t far from Dog Keeper’s glorified hovel. If they could get there, then… then what? The dogs would be about as effective as he guessed his knife would be, maybe even less so, though they might provide a good distraction.

Just as they were about to break into a sprint, heads down, along the ditch, Nezumi heard a scuffle above them. Cautiously, he lifted his head.

Something white was taking on the monsters, and whatever its claw was made of was doing damage. Nezumi ducked back down. “We need to move.”

Shion nodded. He was still flushed with fever, still wheezing, but his eyes were determined. Quietly, they slunk down the ditch, staying low and out of sight. An explosion rang out, and Shion flinched. Nezumi pulled his arm, keeping them both moving until they reached the end of their route.

Once more, Nezumi peeked over the edge of their hiding spot. Two of the monsters were missing. The third was still engaged with the white figure. Nezumi scanned the area. Assuming the explosion had been one of the monsters, where had the other gone?

He spotted it just in time to pull Shion, whose white hair made him an easy target, out of the way of the blade the monster had in place of an arm. “Aw, hold still and let me kill you!” it cooed, changing the arc of its swing.

Nezumi brought his knife up to meet its blade, but just as metal clashed against metal and the knife snapped under the heavy blow, something sent the creature flying.

The culprit was a redhead with an eyepatch wielding an oversized mallet. “You okay down there?”

“Yeah.” Shion’s voice was surprisingly even, considering they had both almost been sliced in half. The blade of Nezumi’s broken knife had just missed his head by inches.

“Good.” The redhead stepped toward the monster, readying his hammer for another swing.

It was unnecessary, however. The monster, rounding on the black-clad figure, crashed suddenly to the ground. Its metallic body was breaking down, cracks spreading from the back of its head. It let out a cry before it fell apart. From the dust and the wreckage, a small bee zipped away.

“Lenalee!” the redhead shouted.

“On it!” A woman clad in the same black-and-red uniform leapt over them at lightning speed.

Another explosion resounded, and then the white-clad figure was next to the redhead. “Lavi, what—”

“Bee,” Lavi replied, pointing. “Lenalee’s gone after it to catch it. At least we’ve answered one question on this trip, neh?”

Moments later, the woman in question, Lenalee, rejoined them. “It vanished,” she said as she landed impossibly lightly considering the height she had come from and her speed. “I caught up, and then it just disappeared.”

“Damn.” Lavi deactivated his Innocence and threw it into its holster. Turning to the two teens still in the ditch, he offered a hand. “Need some help?”

Nezumi narrowed his eyes at the group. He didn’t let his surprise at the shrinking hammer, the flying girl, or the vanishing white coat and claw show on his face as he climbed out of their hiding place unassisted.

Shion, however, was not so schooled in hiding his emotions.

“How’d you do that?!” he asked, obviously gobsmacked. He accepted Lavi’s offer of assistance and scrambled up. His red eyes widened when he got a better look at Allen’s white hair and scar.

Sensing the question before the other teen asked it, Lavi held up his free hand to stop him and said, “No bees. His hair’s been like this for a while.” He frowned. “You okay? You’re burning up.”

Shion released the redhead’s hand and gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah, probably just a relapse. Nothing to worry about. I don’t think. I’ll be fine.” He touched his own forehead, as if that would give him an idea of how high his own fever was.

A thought seemed to strike him then. “Do you think Dog Keeper’s okay?” he asked Nezumi. “You don’t think those monsters—”

“Dog Keeper should be fine.” Allen gestured behind them. “Our friends stayed back to make sure.” As well as to gather more information, he added mentally. “None of the Akuma got that far anyway.”

Shion breathed a sigh of relief while Nezumi cocked an eyebrow at Allen. _Akuma_. Demons. That seemed as fitting a name as any for the creatures that had almost slaughtered them.

“I’m Shion, by the way,” the white-haired teen said, offering Allen his hand. Already, his fever was forgotten. Or maybe it had gone away, as the flush had dissipated and Allen didn’t comment when he shook the other’s hand. “And this is Nezumi.”

The group made their way toward the hotel. “So that’s what Dog Keeper meant by a rat,” Lavi commented. “Is that an alias?”

A sardonic smile. “Do you think I’d tell you if it was?” replied Nezumi easily. His expression was one of disinterest as he asked, “So what did your thirty pieces of silver buy from them, anyway?”

Shion frowned at his companion. “That’s a bit dramatic.”

“Oh, you actually got that one?”

“I’m not a total idiot.”

“Only sometimes.”

The banter was friendly enough, but it ended just as quickly as it began with Nezumi returning to his earlier query. “How much did that flea-bitten mutt tell you about Shion and me?”

From the entrance to the hotel, Dog Keeper shouted, “If anyone has fleas, it’s you, you two-bit actor!” They frowned at the group as they got closer. “It’s a pity those things didn’t get you. It’d make my life a hell of a lot easier.”

Nezumi shrugged and turned to leave. “Then you’ll have to find someone else to sing.”

Dog Keeper snagged his elbow. “Don’t you dare. You promised!”

“I also seem to recall you ‘promising’ to keep quiet about Shion.”

“I got a good price for that information, and these Order guys would’ve figured it out sooner or later.” They gestured at Allen. “You really think Shion would keep his mouth shut if he spotted this guy?”

They did have a point, but Nezumi was still angry even if his face didn’t show it. “Then I’m sure you wouldn’t mind sharing some of that in exchange for my services?”

“I’m already paying you—”

“Think of it as an adjustment for inflation.”

Shion stepped between the two. “If you two don’t stop fighting, I won’t share the lunch my mom packed for us.”

Both Nezumi and Dog Keeper gaped at the white-haired teen and the shoulder bag he’d brought attention to. Then Dog Keeper burst out laughing and patted him on the head like a little kid, a somewhat comical gesture considering they had to reach up to do so.

The exorcists joined the impromptu picnic behind the hotel. All except Lavi, anyway, who through an odd twist of fate, had been saddled with grave digging for Dog Keeper’s “uncle,” a dog that had been their “mother’s” brother. Originally, Shion was going to do that, but between the earlier fever and Inspector Link insisting he answer the Order’s questions, the duty was shifted onto Allen, who’d lost at rock-paper-scissors to Lavi. When he’d gone to take the shovel, however, the beagle he’d been watching earlier decided then was the perfect time to become friends with the exorcist and had knocked Allen over and laid claim to his lap. Once the dog had settled in a way that gave Allen a strong sense of déjà vu, Lavi was the only remaining option.

While the redhead quietly grumbled about Allen’s sudden bout of luck, Link began his interrogation with notepad and pen in hand. “How and when did you get infected?”

Shion took it all in stride as he munched on a sandwich. “I’m not sure. About two weeks ago, I found a boil on the back of my neck, and Nezumi noticed a couple hours later that my skin was turning black from necrosis. I saw someone earlier that day die from a parasitic bee, so I was already primed to recognize what was going on.” His voice was level, as if he were commenting on the weather and not how close he’d gotten to dying.

Lenalee shuddered, but Link continued with his questioning. “How did you survive? Did you receive some sort of treatment?”

“Nezumi cut it out of me,” the teen replied, once again unaffected by the gruesomeness he described in such a short description. Though he did rub slightly at his neck where the scar would have been visible if not for the larger, darker snakelike scar that blended with it.

Link nodded. “Do you still have the bee?”

Shion finished the last bite of his sandwich and dug through his satchel. On retrieving a petri dish, he explained, “It was still in the pupal stage when he extracted it.”

Nezumi cocked an eyebrow. “You just happened to bring that with you?”

“Dog Keeper said to in the note this morning.” He passed the dish to Bookman, who had his hand outstretched.

The older exorcist looked over the pupa, face betraying nothing, then passed it to Link. The CROW placed a Binding Wing around the dish, just in case, then pocketed it. He scribbled a few more details down, then asked, “Any side effects?”

Shion picked up a muffin. His tone was clinical as he listed the lingering effects, “Besides my hair and scar, I’ve had occasional fever and increased appetite.” He shrugged. “I suspect the bee causes increased metabolism in its host so that it can feed, and just before emerging, causes rapid aging when it steals the host’s remaining nutrients. When I didn’t die like I was supposed to, the changes to my physiology remained.”

Allen’s hand, which had been scratching the dog in his lap behind the ear, stilled. He admittedly hadn’t understood most of what had come out of Shion’s mouth, but what he did follow sounded familiar. The beagle whined at him, and he went back to scratching the dog’s ear. He asked, “Have you noticed anything strange happening to you lately?”

“Other than Akuma attacking us?” Nezumi shot back before taking a bite of his cherry cake.

Shion, on the other hand, considered Allen’s question carefully. “I can’t think of anything besides what I can directly relate to the parasitic infection.”

Lenalee caught on to what Allen had been trying to get it. “Is there a pattern to when you have your relapses?”

Again, Shion thought about it, and said, “It’s happened maybe… four times. I don’t think there’s any pattern.”

“When and where?” asked Link, writing this down.

“Before when the Akuma attacked, twice last week not far from here, and once two weeks ago, but I don’t remember where that was.”

“We were at the market,” Nezumi reminded him.

Shion nodded. “Right, thanks.”

Link frowned at this latest detail. “Do you remember times or dates?”

Nezumi rattled them off before snatching up another piece of cherry cake. “Anything else?”

Lavi returned then and snagged the last muffin for himself. “Were you with Shion every time?”

“We spend a lot of time together when we aren’t working,” Shion replied for Nezumi, “so it isn’t too surprising.”

Dog Keeper frowned at Lavi. “Did you dig the grave deep enough? I don’t want anything coming by and digging him up.”

Lavi swallowed his bite of muffin and gestured behind him. “Should be good. If it’s not, I’ll keep going, but I wanted a muffin before Allen ate ‘em all.”

Once Lavi had finished his muffin, Dog Keeper checked Lavi’s work. Finding it acceptable, they carefully laid their uncle to rest. While Lavi shoveled the dirt overtop the bundle, Nezumi stood a short distance away, watching the scene before him. It was ironic, in a way. Not only was Dog Keeper’s uncle getting a requiem sung for him, but he was also being buried by a priest of sorts. It was more than Nezumi himself could expect when he died.

Nezumi waited for Lavi to finish burying the dog before he began to sing. His voice was rich, and the song seemed to flow through him rather than from, like he was summoning it from someplace far away, where the wind smelled of forests and rain. With the dog in his lap and the gentle melody hanging in the air around him, Allen felt his mind drifting away, back to that circus so long ago. The words didn’t matter, not really. Just that sense of nostalgia that had taken hold.

The song ended, but the feeling lingered. Lenalee watched Allen’s far off expression with concern before she hesitantly ventured, “Allen?”

The exorcist started, brought back to the present, and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, just got caught up in old memories.” At Link’s sharp stare, he quickly amended, “Memories of when I was a kid.” _His_ memories, not the Fourteenth’s.

It was a good thing that Shion, too, had a distant look on his face as he stared in Nezumi’s direction. If he’d been mentally present at the time, he might have found something strange in the way the exorcists looked and spoke with Allen at that moment. As it was, though, his cheeks were flushed with fever again and his eyes a little glassy as he stared through Nezumi when he returned to their picnic.

The actor frowned down at Shion who still didn’t seem to see him even as he stared blankly up at his face. “You’re doing it again.”

Shion blinked, the spell broken. “Oh, I must’ve…” He put a hand to his forehead, once again ineffectually checking his temperature.

Lenalee pushed his hand away and replaced it with her own. “Did your fever come back?” Finding this to be the case, she reached in her side pouch for some medicine, which she passed to the white-haired boy.

“It usually goes away in a couple minutes,” but Shion obediently swallowed the pills anyway.

The medicine kicked in quickly, and while Shion picked up what little remained of their picnic, Link took a few more notes. “We may have follow up questions tomorrow,” the inspector explained.

Shion nodded. “I’ll be at my mom’s bakery, Karan’s, tomorrow morning if you need me.” Nezumi didn’t answer when Link asked where they could find him, so Shion added, “Nezumi works at the theater in the West District. He’ll probably be there most of tomorrow.” The teen earned a scowl for his honesty.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day found the exorcists split in two groups to follow different leads. The Science Department had worked tirelessly all night to test the pupa Link had sent back with a Finder, and the results confirmed their suspicions. The bee, a species none of the scientists recognized, contained signs of Innocence, and so Allen, Lenalee, and Link headed to the bakery just after lunch. Bookman and Lavi, meanwhile, excused themselves for reasons related to their clan and headed for the theater to discuss something with Nezumi.

Karan’s bakery was filled with delicious smells of baking bread and pastries, making Allen’s mouth water. The woman behind the counter greeted them with a smile that fell away upon seeing Allen’s hair and scar. She seemed more startled by his appearance than anything, and the younger woman who came from the back with a tray of fresh cookies looked even more so.

“You must be the people from the Black Order Shion mentioned,” the first woman said after a long moment. She lifted the divider and stepped into the store. “I’m Karan, his mother.”

“Allen Walker,” Allen said, offering his hand, which she shook. The others introduced themselves as well.

The other woman watched them from behind the counter. “Do you need Shion for something?” she asked.

“We have some follow up questions,” Link replied, all business. “Is he here?”

“Safu, could you--?”

The other woman, Safu, nodded and disappeared behind the door. A minute later, she reappeared with a flour-dusted Shion in tow.

“Did you find anything out?” he asked eagerly as he led them up a set of stairs to where he and his mother must live.

Link produced the report. “The bees are related to a substance we’re looking for known as Innocence,” he explained.

Shion nodded, reading over the pages with a small serious frown. “What exactly is Innocence?” He turned the page, kept reading.

Lenalee was the one to answer with, “It’s the material our Anti-Akuma weapons are made of. Strange phenomena always occur around it.”

Again, a nod. He was silent a little longer as he read through the report, his face revealing nothing. Finally, “How are these bees connected to it?”

“We’re not sure,” Lenalee admitted. “That’s why we wanted to talk with you.”

At last, he looked up from his reading, a little surprised. “With me? I’m afraid I don’t know anything about Innocence. Ecology, sure, but I wouldn’t know anything about—”

“We suspect,” Link interrupted, “that you’ve come into contact with the Innocence. The fact that you… reacted to the Akuma when they attacked leads us to believe you may, in fact, be an accommodator of a parasitic-type Innocence.”

Shion stared down at the papers in his hands. That tidbit hadn’t been in there. “I’ve had fever spikes without the Akuma being around,” he said slowly, running each time through his mind. People would have spotted those creatures and panicked, wouldn’t they?

“Other than the one that occurred yesterday after the Akuma attack, each preceded a case of parasitic bee infection. The last four were reduced to ash, if we include the Akuma during the battle.”

“But there weren’t any monsters around those other times,” Shion insisted.

“The Akuma disguise themselves as humans,” Allen explained. “Unless they attacked, you wouldn’t have known.”

Shion set the stack of papers on the table. “How would you know if I’m an accommodator?” he asked at length. “Is there some kind of test?”

“There is.” Link took back the report. “You’ll have to come back with us to Headquarters. If you don’t have the Innocence and aren’t an accommodator, we’ll bring you back here.”

“And if I am an accommodator?” As if the answer weren’t obvious. Shion wasn’t sure why he bothered to ask.

“You’ll become an exorcist and work with us.”

“In other words,” Shion surmised, “I won’t be coming home.” He tugged at his bangs, a small feeling of panic bubbling up inside him. What about his mom? Safu? Nezumi?

_Nezumi_. His chest tightened. Would he even get the chance to say goodbye? To any of them? “Do we have to leave right away?”

It was as if Lenalee could read his mind. “We told Lavi and Bookman that we would meet up at the theater your friend works at. We’ve got some time before we said we’d head over.”

“Thanks.” Shion wasn’t sure what he’d tell his mother and Safu, but he hoped that whatever he told them, the goodbye wouldn’t be a permanent one.

* * *

Lavi wasn’t sure why the crew member led them to a dressing room labeled with the name Eve when they had asked for Nezumi, but upon seeing the lovely young woman applying stage makeup, he was glad the man had. Though Lavi was disappointed when her silver eyes narrowed in annoyance at his cry of, _“STRIKE!”_

Bookman ignored his apprentice and gave a slight bow in greeting to the woman. “We had some questions for you that we hoped you could answer.”

The woman turned back to her mirror. “You already know everything I do about those bees.”

Lavi’s eye widened. Between the wig and stage makeup, he hadn’t recognized the young man, but the voice was unmistakably Nezumi’s. He couldn’t help but burst out, “Why are you in a _dress_?”

The woman—no, Nezumi—quirked an eyebrow at Lavi’s reflection in his mirror. “I’m playing Ophelia.” As if that should have been obvious.

Before Lavi could even think of a response, he was silenced with a look from Bookman. The old man turned back to the actor and said, “You’re a survivor of the Mao Massacre, are you not?”

The hand applying the blush stopped. Lavi frowned. The Mao Massacre was something he’d seen early on with Bookman. An army had gone through the Mao forest and upon finding it inhabited, slaughtered every last one of the Forest Folk. For a survivor to appear now, without Bookman having been aware of their existence, was unexpected to say the least.

Nezumi turned hard eyes on the historian but said nothing. This was all the confirmation Bookman needed to continue with a simple question: “How?”

The actor shrugged, and the mask he wore was one of disinterest. “Luck. They didn’t notice one of the corpses still had a pulse when they burned the forest down.”

Lavi, meanwhile, ran all the knowledge he had about the Forest Folk through his head. They were a peaceful people who had been in the Mao forest since the Great Flood. They lived in harmony with nature. They could supposedly communicate with animals and the forest itself. They worshipped a god outsiders called Elyurias and controlled it with song, calling those who sang to the creature “Singers.” Elyurias itself was…

His breath caught. A bee. A giant bee that would lay its eggs in human hosts without the Forest Folks’ interference.

Bookman watched their subject carefully. He’d come to the same conclusion as Lavi the day prior but had said nothing to the others. Not yet, anyway. “The humans that have died from the parasitic wasps were related to the massacre.” Bookman had consulted his own records on this point.

Nezumi chuckled softly, darkly at this news. “Good.”

So this whole situation was some kind of revenge by a Forest God that had lost its worshippers? If that was the case, though, one thing didn’t add up. “But why’d she try to kill your friend? You two get too friendly and Elyurias got jealous?”

Lavi had expected Nezumi to get angry at his insinuation, maybe throw a punch. What he hadn’t expected was the man to stand, his expression to soften into that of the very character he was dressed as, and to say, demurely, “Lord Exorcist, I must ask a favor of you,” all while slowly approaching.

So thrown off by this sudden transformation into a beautiful noblewoman was Lavi that he didn’t react when Nezumi got uncomfortably close to whisper, almost sweetly to mask the cutting edge beneath, “Leave,” before roughly shoving the exorcist out of the dressing room and slamming the door in his face. Bookman had already slipped out willingly, having gotten the information he needed.

“He was armed,” remarked the old man. His meaning was clear: _you’re lucky you aren’t dead_.

Lavi didn’t have much time to contemplate this, however, as Lenalee rounded the corner alongside Shion. “How’d your investigation go?” The way she asked made it obvious they’d both heard the door slam.

“Could’ve gone better,” Lavi admitted, scratching the back of his head. “Learned something interesting, but he probably won’t talk to us again.”

Shion didn’t look the least bit surprised by this as he knocked on the door. There was no response until he said, “Nezumi, I need to talk to you a second.”

The door opened, and Nezumi leaned on the frame looking perfectly calm as his eyes swept from Shion’s face to the three exorcists standing not far behind him and back. “It can’t wait until after the show?”

“It can’t.” He’d had so much he wanted to say. He wanted to thank him for saving him, for changing him over the years they’d known each other, but seeing him now, none of that seemed like enough. Nor did he want to burden Nezumi with that, not if they would never see each other again, not when he knew Nezumi had lost so much already. Maybe it was best to disappear quietly after all.

Decided, Shion stepped forward and pressed his lips to Nezumi’s. When he pulled back, he smiled and said, “For luck. It’s opening night tonight, isn’t it?”

Nezumi frowned at him. “What the hell?” He wasn’t angry, just a little perplexed.

“Ah, right, wishing someone luck is bad in the theater. I should be saying ‘break a leg.’”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” His gaze trailed over to the exorcists once more. Bookman’s face revealed nothing, but Lavi openly gaped at them both and Lenalee was averting her eyes while blushing. “They’re taking you with them?”

“…Yes,” he said at last. “They think I might have… what they’re looking for inside of me.”

“Because of that bee?”

Shion nodded. “I… wanted to say goodbye. In case they’re right, and I can’t come back.”

Nezumi tilted Shion’s chin up. “Idiot.” Lavi’s words from before raced through his mind as he leaned forward. “ _You two got too friendly and Elyurias got jealous?”_ Perhaps that was the case. When he’d met Shion four years ago after breaking into Karan’s bakery, when he’d been forced into a grudging friendship with this total airhead, he hadn’t expected him to become so important, to be drawn to him like this. Maybe Elyurias _was_ spiteful that someone had taken the spot in his heart that ought to have been reserved for her.

The wall across from them smashed open. Something white crashed into the floor at their feet, gasping as the wind was knocked out of him a third time.

“Allen!” Lenalee cried out in shock.

“A Level 4,” Allen wheezed, struggling to his feet. Crown Clown had protected him from the worst of the damage, but his lip was bleeding where he’d bit it on the first impact that had sent him through the theater. “There are two 3s and three 2s as well.”

“But your eye—”

Allen shook his head. “They’ve put up a barrier. We’re trapped.”

Lavi cursed and activated his hammer, making it grow large enough to wield with two hands. Lenalee’s anklets became boots, but while the boys rushed through the hole Allen had created, she stayed behind a moment to tell the curious cast members poking their heads out of their dressing rooms to stay hidden before disappearing into the theater’s house to join the fray as well.

Instead of doing that, they came out demanding an explanation from Nezumi and Shion. “What’s going on? What the hell was that—”

They should have heeded Lenalee’s warning. Nezumi pulled Shion into his dressing room and slammed the door just in time as a rain of bullets sprayed through the theater’s wall. As it was, Nezumi had no idea how the flimsy door had managed to stop the projectiles, but the screams made him wonder if any of the bullets had actually hit the door in the first place. He held it shut even as Shion tried to pry it open to check on Nezumi’s coworkers.

“They’re dead,” Nezumi hissed, “and we will be too if you don’t keep quiet.”

It had gone dead silent outside the room with not even a pained groan to indicate life. Then another volley of bullets and more screams. Shion let out a gasp. Of all the times to have a relapse, now was _not_ a good time.

They’d said he was an accommodator, that he could use the Innocence as a weapon the same way Allen Walker did. Shion gritted his teeth. If only he could figure out _how_.

Nezumi’s grip on Shion tightened. “I know a back way out of here. Can you walk?”

“Allen said we’re trapped.”

“He’s obviously doesn’t know me.” Nezumi tore his wig off. He’d have ditched the dress in favor of his street clothes too, but they didn’t have the luxury of time at the moment. Instead, he took the fabric of the skirt and tied it so it wouldn’t trip him up.

He waited for a lull in the gunfire, then risked opening the door. He could see the Akuma through the Allen-sized hole in the wall. These were more uncannily human-looking than the batch that had chased them the previous day, and all were focused on the exorcists. The blond man, too, was flinging glowing talismans left and right, holding his own against the monsters despite not wearing the same uniform as the others.

“Stay low.” Nezumi led the way through the dust, breathing through his sleeve and signaling for Shion to do the same. There wasn’t a single corpse, and Nezumi didn’t want to think about what that meant. He hoped Shion wasn’t thinking about it either.

At the end of the hall was a storage room, and in the back of that storage room was a trapdoor Nezumi had found shortly after starting to work at the theater. He had no idea what it had originally been used for, but it led to an abandoned wine cellar a kilometer off, not far from the one Nezumi called home. Never had he thought he’d be using it in an emergency like this.

Nezumi pushed aside the boxes that sat atop their goal, then pulled. It should have swung up easily, but it didn’t budge. He pulled harder. Still, it didn’t open.

“Is it locked?” Shion whispered.

“It doesn’t even latch.” Even if it had, this wasn’t like a deadbolt. It would have at least rattled if that were the case. Nezumi retrieved the knife he’d hidden in his sleeve and dug in the gap between the door and the regular floor. The knife should have been able to slide in such a large gap, but it was like he hit some invisible barrier. He cursed. Whatever those Akuma had done to trap them within the theater extended here as well.

Another crash. Before Nezumi could do more than turn, gunshots rang out again. Hot blood splashed on him as Shion leapt in front of him and took the bullets. His eyes widened as Shion stumbled back and fell against him. Black star-shaped bruises blossomed on his skin as the white-haired teen coughed up blood.

Nezumi threw the knife at the Akuma, and though both knew it would do no damage, the Akuma flinched, giving him the chance and the space to make his getaway. He scooped Shion up as he had the previous day and bolted past the monster. “Hang on,” he said, though he wasn’t sure Shion could hear him. The star-shaped spots were spreading.

That blasted song was ringing in his ears again, making thought near impossible. He ran on instinct, dodging around a corner when the Akuma fired again.

He felt a hand against his cheek, hot with fever. Shion’s red eyes stared up into his, not quite seeing. His breathing was ragged with pain. “It’s all right,” he choked out. “Leave me and get out of here.”

“Like hell I’m leaving you here,” Nezumi snapped. He was running again.

Shion’s eyes slid closed. His breath caught. “C-could you sing for me?”

“You’re not dying.”

A pained laugh. “I think I might be.” If not for the pain and fever, Shion was sure he could list exactly what vital organs those bullets had probably hit, not to mention the weird marks spreading across his skin.

“Then you wouldn’t be talking. Now shut up.” Nezumi tried to ignore how the stars were still multiplying as they reached the theater’s lobby.

An Akuma crashed through the wall ahead of them, this one more humanlike. Trapped between two monsters. Nezumi cursed. If it were possible, the song was getting louder.

Shion’s grip tightened on the fabric over Nezumi’s heart, then loosened, and his hand fell limply against his chest.

Nezumi’s knees gave out. They were both dead. Shion already was. The teen's skin was practically black, the stars overlapping so thoroughly that they were no longer distinct. And _still_ the Forest God’s song repeated incessantly in his skull, taunting him. At last, he gave in. The song poured forth, quietly, broken with tears.

The Akuma laughed at him. “He’s lost it!” the Level 3 squealed in delight.

It didn’t have long to gloat. With each note, each word, dots of light appeared around Nezumi and Shion, resolving themselves into dozens of bees. Bees that began to swarm the two Akuma.

* * *

Allen lunged forward with his broadsword, aiming for the Level 4 Akuma’s gut. Unable to dodge because of Lavi’s interference with a well-aimed flame attack, it grabbed the blade instead, just as the exorcists had planned. Allen ducked out of the way, giving Lenalee a clear shot to hit the hilt of the blade, forcing it forward hard enough with her own Innocence that it slammed into the Akuma and sliced it cleanly in two.

“Two left,” Lavi commented, his breath coming in sharp gasps. The Level 4 had thrown him during the battle and definitely broke a few ribs. It was all he could do to stay standing, leaning on his hammer like a crutch. “A Level 2 and 3.”

Bookman wasn’t in much better shape, nor were Allen and Lenalee. Even Link, who had stayed mostly out of the line of fire and fought the different enemies with Flame Wings, was exhausted. After the Level 4 and the rest of the swarm, the last two would not be easy.

Out in the lobby, they heard shouts and curses. Allen looked at Lenalee, who nodded, and they both hurried toward the sounds. Only to stop dead in their tracks.

One Akuma, the Level 3, was swatting at dozens of bees. What was left of the Level 2 was already broken and slowly turning to dust. What had their attention though, was the giant bee with six wings like stained glass, towering over Nezumi and the lifeless Shion he clutched in his lap. A song like the wind itself emanated from it, harmonizing with the one Nezumi sang.

Allen tore his eyes away from the creature—the Innocence, he realized—and readied his claw arm to destroy the final Akuma. Distracted as it was, it was easy to dispatch.

That only left Nezumi, Shion, and the strange, beautiful insect. The song died away, both the bee’s and Nezumi’s, and with it, the small glowing bees. Nezumi stared up at the bee, and the bee watched him in return, some unspoken conversation between the two.

Then the bee bowed its great head and faded into smoke, which descended slowly until it vanished into Shion’s body.

The white-haired teen let out a small groan, and his red eyes fluttered open. “Nezumi?” he asked groggily.

“You absolute idiot,” Nezumi muttered, looking away so that his bangs hid his tears.

“Are you… crying?”

Nezumi stubbornly wiped them away. “You died, you idiot.”

“If I died, how am I talking?”

Crown Clown vanished, and Allen approached the pair. “Are you both all right?”

“Never better,” Nezumi bit out sarcastically as he helped Shion sit up. Allen’s eyes widened at the amount of red staining Shion’s shirt. Parasitic-type or no, he should have bled out from the sheer number of bullet holes, let alone where those holes were.

Lenalee hurried forward, bandages from her side-pouch in hand, but Shion shook his head. “I’m fine,” he said. He touched his side, where the largest of the injuries should have been, but felt no pain. His shirt was sticky with half-dried blood, but no wound was there.

Her brow furrowed. “A healing power?” she murmured more to herself.

“We can figure it out later.” Link passed them to the doors of the theater and pulled ineffectually at the handles. Much like the trapdoor Nezumi had tried earlier, the doors didn’t so much as rattle. “First, we have to get out of here.”

“Think they’ll send someone when we don’t show up for the gate?” Lavi asked, deactivating his hammer and collapsing onto a bench with a grunt.

Lenalee sat next to him with a sigh. “We contacted the Order saying we’d be coming back after we got you two from the theater, so at least it’s the first place they’ll look.”

“And Tim'll make sure they know that we’re stuck,” Allen finished for her.

“How are we trapped anyway?” Shion asked, examining the doors. The windows were dark even though it still should have been mid-afternoon. They had said a barrier, but did something like that actually exist? Well, Akuma did, so why not barriers that trapped people in buildings? “Is it really a magic barrier?”

“Yep,” Lavi replied, leaning back with a groan, “and we’re stuck until someone comes and breaks it. Hope it’s before more Akuma show up.” He eyed Nezumi. “Unless giant bee gods can break us out?”

Nezumi was about to make a biting remark back when Shion let out a cry of surprise. The darkness had vanished from the windows to let in the late afternoon sunlight, and the door opened, revealing Safu. She stared at the battered group.

She worked her mouth, unable to make a sound on the first few attempts as she took in Shion’s bloodied clothes, then everyone else’s injuries, then the smashed up theater. “What happened?” Safu managed at last.

“We were attacked by monsters,” Nezumi replied. “Shion’s fine.”

Safu stared at Nezumi, his costume also stained with Shion’s blood. “You expect me to believe that?” Her voice was a full octave higher than normal. She wasn't one to panic, so they all must have looked a mess.

“It’s true.” Allen waved from his spot on the floor. “How’d you open the door?”

She looked at him like he was crazy. “I… just opened the door? It wasn’t locked.”

A few more people filed in behind her. Finders, and Madarao. “Seems you missed the party,” one of the Finders said, half-joking to the third exorcist uneasily. Timcanpy hopped off the man’s shoulder and zipped straight to Allen. Now Allen was glad that he’d asked the golem to keep an eye out for trouble _outside_ the theater.

Madarao took in the scene as well, then informed them, “We’ve come to escort you all back.”

“Give me five minutes to change,” Nezumi groused, heading back toward his abandoned dressing room.

Shion stared at his retreating form. “Huh?”

Nezumi rolled his eyes. “You think I’m letting you go by yourself?”

It took a second for what Nezumi said to register, and then Shion threw his arms around Nezumi and kissed him again.


	3. Chapter 3

Shion wasn’t sure what he expected, but never in a million years with a million guesses would he have thought they’d arrive at the Black Order through a glowing portal. Nezumi, too, was astonished by the gate, but he’d schooled his features into mild indifference as they stepped through into a bustling building.

“Welcome home!” a man in a white lab coat and beret called to the exorcists even as they—Lavi in particular—were helped away to the infirmary. He beamed at the two latest additions to the Order’s ranks and offered his hand. “You must be Shion and Nezumi. I’m Komui Lee, Chief Officer of the Black Order. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Shion said, taking the hand and shaking it.

“You’ve both been through a lot,” Komui said, gesturing for them to follow, “so we’ll just cut to the chase so you can get some much needed rest. Shion, from what I heard on your way over, it sounds like we were correct in thinking you were the accommodator after all, but we’ll need to have Hevlaska check you out anyway.”

“Who’s Hevlaska?” Shion was still staring around in wonder at the building. Nezumi walked beside him, also glancing this way and that, though he was far more subtle about it.

“She’s an exorcist of the Order,” was his secretary’s clipped reply.

Komui elaborated, “Hevlaska has been with the Order a long time and checks the Innocence of all new accommodators.”

Nezumi sputtered, “She checks _what_?”

“It’s what their anti-Akuma weapons are made of,” Shion explained. It was rare to actually catch Nezumi openly shocked or appalled by anything. It was kind of… comforting, knowing he too was thrown a little by all this.

“Ah, did no one fill you in on that?” Komui asked, guiding them to his office. “Wait here a bit, Nezumi, while I take Shion here to Hevlaska.”

Shion tugged at his white bangs. “Can’t Nezumi come too?”

“Accommodators and high-level personal only, I’m afraid. We’ve had… security problems in the past.” Shion nodded, though he still didn’t like it.

Komui led Shion down several more labyrinthine corridors to a lift, which descended into darkness. Below, a light came into view, and Shion’s eyes widened at the sight of a giant creature. Judging by the way Komui waved to it, it wasn’t a monster like the Akuma, but after the day he’d had, he was still somewhat wary.

“Good evening, Hevlaska,” Komui greeted the glowing being.

“Good… evening…” replied the creature slowly in a woman’s voice. Her head turned toward Shion, who couldn’t help but take a step back. She wasn’t scary in the way the Akuma had been, but her presence was overwhelming.

Komui patted Shion on the back. “Don’t be scared,” he said, his voice light. “Hevlaska just needs to poke around a bit to make sure you have the Innocence, and then we’ll head right back.”

_Poke around a bit?_ He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that, but he approached the edge of the platform.

The tendrils on Hevlaska’s body reached out for him and gently lifted him off his feet. They wrapped around him, and he winced as he felt _something_ slip just beneath his skin. It didn’t hurt, but it felt weird and made the scar that wrapped around his body feel uncomfortably warm.

“So how ‘bout it, Hevlaska?” Komui called up to them.

“He has… Innocence…” she said thoughtfully, setting Shion back down safely on the platform, “but he’s… not the accommodator.”

That took Komui by surprise. “He’s… not?”

“It’s synchronized… but not… with him.”

There was a brief pause as Komui pondered Hevlaska’s words, then he said to himself, “Is that even allowed…?” before turning on his headset. “Yes, erm… could you bring Nezumi down? There seems to have been a misunderstanding… No, nothing big, I don’t think. Just… I’ll bring the lift up for you. Yes, thanks.”

A few minutes later, they were heading down once more, this time with Nezumi in tow. He leaned on the railing, watching below, as Shion explained, “Hevlaska isn’t human, but she’s not a monster, so don’t freak out, okay?”

Neumi shrugged wearily. “We’ve been attacked by Akuma, I watched you die, the Forest God showed up, and they’re speaking in code back there so we don’t know what they’re talking about. I don’t think I have the energy to ‘freak out’ anymore.”

Shion chuckled softly and pressed his shoulder against Nezumi’s. “Same. I just want to eat and go to bed.”

The lift slowed as Hevlaska once more came into view. Shion stepped forward, and Nezumi followed when prompted by Komui with a small cough. The tendrils reached out, this time only touching the end of the snakelike scar on Shion’s cheek and Nezumi’s forehead.

Slowly, Hevlaska began counting up. Shion glanced at Komui for an explanation, but the chief didn’t say a word until the creature declared, “87%,” to which he let out a low whistle.

Before either teen could ask what the number even meant, Hevlaska began speaking again. “Nezumi, Elyurias has accepted you as her final Singer. She will protect you both so long as you sing for her.”

Well, that was hardly news to Nezumi, but Shion and Komui looked alarmed. “That doesn’t bode well,” commented the bespectacled man.

“It’s fact,” Nezumi replied with a shrug. “I’m the last of the Forest People. No Forest People, no Singers.” He’d come to terms with that a long time ago, and if Hevlaska was to be believed, so had the Forest God.

“But your line doesn’t _have_ to end with you,” Komui insisted. “We’re a religious organization, but being an Exorcist doesn’t mean you’ll be a priest. There are rules, but…”

He trailed off when Nezumi clasped Shion’s hand and lifted it so Komui could see their fingers intertwined. The actor’s expression dared the scientist to challenge them on this.

Komui cleared his throat to give him a moment to attempt (somewhat unsuccessfully) to hide his initial reaction: one of pure glee. Two rather handsome young men about Lenalee’s age had found themselves at the Order, and neither would lay a finger on her. It was a shame two people were pulled from their regular lives, but at least they had each other—and not his dear little sister. “I see. Well then, I welcome you both to the Black Order.”

Shion asked hesitantly, “It… won’t be a problem, will it?” As Komui had said before, this _was_ a religious organization.

He shook his head and sent a pointed glance at his secretary, who didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the pair either. “You do you, and if anyone gives you a hard time, send them to me.” And while he may have been able to mask the delight in his voice from Shion, it certainly hadn’t escaped Nezumi’s ears. This guy was a strange one.

Once in the cafeteria, Nezumi found out the reason for Komui’s… enthusiasm about him and Shion. Lenalee waved them over to where she, Link, and Allen sat, a mountain of food in front of the latter. “How’d it go with Hevlaska?” she asked once they had joined the trio.

Shion gestured to Nezumi and said, “He’s the accommodator, but I have the Innocence. Chief Komui seemed a little thrown by that. Is it that uncommon?”

“Well,” Lenalee tried to think of any examples other than the most obvious, “General Klaud Nine’s Innocence is inside her monkey, Lau Shimin, but that’s the only case I can think of where a parasitic-type was in a different body from the accommodator.”

Oh, this was too good. “Hear that, Shion? You’re my monkey,” Nezumi teased.

The white-haired boy flushed. “I think technically I’m host to a bee that likes listening to you.”

“And you don’t?”

His blush deepened so much his scar practically disappeared on his face. Shion busied himself with eating, and after the first bite, the embarrassment dropped away in an instant. “This is really good!” Nezumi snorted, but he, too, had to admit that the food did rival Karan’s cooking, though the roll that accompanied his soup was no match for the baker’s, delicious as it was.

“My brother didn’t say anything weird to you two, did he?” Lenalee prompted once they were settled.

Allen paused in his own gorging, confused for a moment. Then he remembered the kiss he’d witnessed after Madarao and the Finders had rescued them. He didn’t think that Komui would be one to care one way or the other, but… oh. Well, there was _that_ to consider.

His thoughts must have shown clearly on his face because Nezumi watched him in mild amusement. “He said he was okay with us being… well, you know,” Shion replied carefully, not wanting to make the two exorcists and inspector uncomfortable. His mom and Safu had been encouraging, and it was sometimes easy to forget that most people… weren’t.

Lenalee smiled and nodded, looking a little relieved. Allen for his part hadn’t batted an eye earlier and was more curious about how Lenalee had expected Komui to react to the news. He had a feeling he knew, since he’d seen on multiple occasions how the various members of the Black Order woke their leader.

Nezumi, however, had yet to witness this. “Were you expecting something different?”

“Not at all.” He could tell by the way she said it that she had, in fact, expected something. Even Shion caught on. Lenalee did her best to ignore the curious look from the latest addition to their ranks as she ate her steamed buns.

Lavi had joined them somewhere during this topic change and grinned mischievously, knowing exactly where both Lenalee and Allen’s minds had gone. “You should offer to sing at Lenalee’s wedding and see how he reacts.”

Apparently, only Nezumi and the CROW had noticed him pop up. Allen, Lenalee, and Shion all jumped at the sound of his voice, and Lenalee turned a hard glare on the redhead. “Lavi!”

“What’s this about Lenalee’s wedding?!”

Komui had appeared from seemingly nowhere and flung his arms around his sister while sobbing in hysterics. “You can’t get married and leave me all alone, Lenalee!” He turned a tearful glare on Nezumi and Shion, as if suspecting them of putting the idea in her head.

Well, that explained some things. Nezumi popped what was left of his roll in his mouth and decided now was the time to get scarce.

“Ah! Wait for me!” Shion crammed the last few bites of his dinner in his mouth and hurried after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, so that's it. This fic has been rattling around in my brain a few months, so I hope you all liked it.
> 
> I'll probably be toying with some one shots in the future, so keep an eye out for the continuing adventures of Exorcists Shion and Nezumi. :)


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